[This article originally appeared in Build Freedom News, Issue #17, January 1996.]

Dear Mr. Mann:

Thank you for sending me your introductory materials. I find them very intriguing. I've returned the materials for a refund for two reasons. First, I need to give some more thought to the concepts presented before I invest capital in them. I value freedom above all else. I've reached the same conclusion that you have in regards to government: it can't practically be made to work. Our best strategy is to "live free in an unfree world." I've no problem with calling the methods and techniques for accomplishing this task "freedom technology." What I need to consider further is what constitutes effective freedom technology. Let's compare the government to a lion encountered in a jungle. When I happen upon this beast several things are apparent to me. First, the beast cares only for itself...not me. Second, the beast will kill and/or eat me if this is perceived to be in its best interest.

Third, the beast has the power to do so. Would it not be more wise for me to utilize stealth and sneak around the beast rather than boldly challenging its authority? True, if it were a cricket or butterfly challenging the beast it would likely take no action because no real threat is perceived. But a human is sufficiently large to be perceived as a threat and hence, to provoke an attack....one I could not survive due to my lack of power relative to the beast.

Relating this to the government we can maybe reach comparable conclusions. Certainly the government is concerned only for itself and its kin (politicians). Certainly the government will kill or imprison me if this is perceived to be in its interest. Certainly the government has the power to do so (police, military, guns, bombs, etc....). Is it not wiser to sneak around this beast and look for loopholes that it is to openly confront it? True, the government may see me more as a nuisance than a real threat when I proclaim myself Sovereign and not subject to taxation (for example). What happens, though, when your organization becomes very large...when hundreds of thousands or millions of people challenge the Government and proclaim themselves sovereign individuals? We are then perceived as a real threat and the beast that is the government feels compelled to act in its own best interest and take action (e.g., pass legislation that makes it a federal offense to proclaim oneself "Sovereign" and impose hefty fines and prison sentences for the same).

Which is more prudent and effective: 1) To challenge the government and openly refuse to pay unjust taxes...or... 2) To avoid paying taxes by covertly cheating, not reporting income, etc...

Which is the more effective freedom technology: 1) openly resisting government coercion and fighting back or 2) utilizing stealth and slipping through the cracks, as it were, in order to achieve the same practical goals?

Even if we decide that the first approach is best my next question would be: does it work? Do you personally pay taxes? When was the last time you did? How about social security? Do you have a state issued drivers license? A birth certificate? You get the point.

Truly, I'm not decided either way. I'd love to follow the first strategy since it has more emotional appeal. Fuck the government! I'm SOVEREIGN! I am subject to no other authority that my own! Etc...etc...etc...

...But does this work? ...Can it work? Please respond to my concerns if you'd be so kind. Thanks for taking the time to read and consider my points.

Sincerely, Patrick B.

P.S. I indicated that I was returning the materials for two reasons. The second reason is to evaluate your company in terms of its service and trustworthiness. I'll feel more comfortable forking over cash in the future if I know it'll be returned to me quickly if I want it back (smirk!) Thanks again.....FreeMan.

Frederick Mann's Response
Mr. "FreeMan" needs to develop his reading and thinking skills. He writes: "I've reached the same conclusion that you have in regards to government: it can't practically be made to work." I've never reached such a conclusion, nor have I ever stated any such conclusion. If we think of "government" as a system, it works very well from the perspective of the relatively few people on top of the system at the expense of the billions at the bottom of the system.

Many freedom-lovers are trapped in debilitating thinking habits they "learned" in the terrocrat (terrorist bureaucrat) concentration campuses for mind destruction, euphemistically called "schools." One of these debilitating thinking habits is to regard a collection of terrocrats as a volitional entity called "government."

Practitioners of Freedom Technology tend to become vastly more effective when they think in terms of dealing with individual terrocrats - with all their weaknesses - rather than a projected, monolithic, big, omniscient, omnipotent "government" with "magical powers."

Another debilitating thinking habit is to think in terms of a dichotomy of two options - rather than a wide spectrum which includes a practically infinite range of possibilities or options. Notice how Mr. "FreeMan" juxtaposes two possibilities and asks which of the two is more effective. Who cares?

Depending on the situation or issue, the advanced thinker makes a list of a range of options and then selects one option (or a combination of options) to best deal with the situation or issue. For example, on the issue of taxes such a list may include:

1. Move to a country (or area) with no taxes;
2. Become a "permanent tourist";
3. Organize your affairs so you have no earnings or assets, so there's nothing to tax;
4. "Disappear" by any of a number of methods;
5. Have no address where terrocrats can find you;
6. Educate yourself, make a good-faith determination concerning which taxes you're legally liable for and which not, obtain professional advice from licensed attorneys and CPAs supporting your determination, and use these as a "reliance defense" if necessary;
7. Utilize failures of terrocrats to comply with their own rules, procedures, and regulations (for example, the "Administrative Procedures Act") to stop them if they attack you;
8. Change your "legal status" so you don't fit into any of the categories of people or entities liable for certain taxes;
9. Find out what percentage of people get attacked - and what percentage actually goes to jail - so you have an idea of the risks involved;
10. Set up an entity - such as a "corporation sole" - that's not subject to taxes and use it to conduct certain transactions;
11. Operate your "personal economy" on a cash basis;
12. Take measures to protect yourself both criminally and civilly in case of terrocrat attack;
13. Obtain evidence of fraud by terrocrats - for example by obtaining your IRS IMF (Individual Master File), decoding it, and identifying how they've fraudulently "classified" you as "trading arms with the Cayman Islands" (or some such) - and use such fraud to stop the terrocrats if they attack you;
14. Use international (as opposed to local) credit cards;
15. Relinquish your social security number, driver's license, etc.;
16. Use banks that don't report anything to your local terrocrats;
17. Contract out services, rather than having employees;
18. Use entities such as trusts and/or offshore corporations to eliminate capital gains taxes, probate, and estate taxes;
19. Organize all your affairs so they are very private and any assets you control can't be located by terrocrats who might seek to tax you;
20. Etc., etc.

Regarding the issue of our organization becoming so big that it's perceived by some terrocrats as a threat - maybe we can grow so fast (together with thousands of other freedom organizations) that by the time they see us as a possible threat, it's too late for them to prevent us from achieving "critical mass." When a critical mass of people said "no!" to the Berlin Wall, neither the East German terrocrat might, nor the 300,000 soviet terrocrats stationed in East Germany, could keep the wall standing.

Mr. "FreeMan" -- due to poor thinking skills? -- asked for a refund "to evaluate... [our] service and trustworthiness." We essentially offer refunds to dissatisfied customers, not for the purpose given by Mr. "FreeMan." He requested a refund for dubious reasons. As a result we're not interested in doing any further business with Mr. "FreeMan."

On top of which, he has the arrogance and gall to ask for a refund -- harming us economically -- and then requesting free information from us!

It seems that Mr. "FreeMan" also suffers from egocentric thinking. He thinks in terms of Build Freedom having to prove to him that we're trustworthy. This is valid thinking. However, he doesn't consider the possibility that he might have to prove to us that he's a worthy customer.

Through his misguided attempt to test our worthiness, he damaged his own worthiness. He abused our refund policy then asked for free information. Attempting to provide services to such a customer would be a drain on our resources. So we drop him like a hot potato!

P.S. Now (1998) the wonders of the Internet enable us to provide all our information free of charge!

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